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I. C. JENNINGS.

FLOAT CONTROLLED VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULYIZ. 1920.

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Patented Mar. 14,1922.

' ATTORNEYS;

UNITED STATES PATENT era-ace.

IRVING C. JENNINGS, OF SOUTH N ORWALK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO NASH ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORA- TION OF CONNECTICUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

Application filed July 12, 1920. Serial No. 395,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVING C. JENNINGS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of South Norwalk, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Float-Controlled Valve-Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for controlling the level of a liquid contained in a tank or receptacle, and particularly .to mechanism of this class adapted to maintain a constant liquid level in a collecting tank by permitting the outflow of excess liquid, although it may be utilized, if desired, to control the inflow of liquid into any receptacle from which liquid is withdrawn and in which it is desired to have a. constant supply.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact, and inexpensive float controlled mechanism which is so constructed that a fioat' of relatively small size is enabled to operate a large sized valve or, to

operate a valve against high back pressure of fluid, as when the liquid pressure is suplemented by the pressure'of a gas above it, within a closed receptacle. Another object is to provide such a mechanism which may be assembled on a single base or supporting member enabling it to be removed as a unit for inspection purposes. Another object is to provide mechanism of this class having no sliding parts, and no tightly fitting moving elements whereby all tendenc of the valve to stick is avoided.

he invention will be fully disclosed in the followin description when taken in connection wit the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a section through a tank and through the improved liquid level controlling mechanism, and

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of The tank indicated at 10 in the drawings may be of any size and shape, and has a circular opening 11 near the bottom through which the castm 12 extends, this casting being secured by olts 13 to the wall of the tankin such manner as to makea water tight fit, but'at the same time being readily removable, The casting has a hollow 1nterior serving as an outlet passagefor hquld from the tank, the inlet opening of said passage being indicated at 14 and the outlet openlng at 15. Preferably a bushing is fitted into the inlet 0 ening, and an annular valve seat 16 forme thereon.

A valve 17 is arranged to seat on said valve seat 16 and this valve may have downwardly extending guide portions 18 which asslst 1n -mantaining the valve in proper alignment with the valve seat as it is moved 1n service and the liquid escaping from the tank when the valve is raised passes between these guides. Spaced lugs 19 extend laterally from the inner wall of member12-and a bell crank lever B is pivotally supported between these lu s, the pivotal axis of the bell crank 'lever being at rlght angles to the axis of the'outlet opening and intersected thereby, or lying very close to this axis. Thebell'crank lever maybe made in various forms but preferably comprises a relatively long arm 20 having the float 27 connected to its outer end and which has threaded engagement at its inner end with a hollow boss projecting at right angles from the wider but relatively short arm 22. Links 23' connect the short arm 22 to the axle ,24secured to the valve and extending diametrically across the same. Arm 22 and links 23 constitute a toggle lever and the lengths-of the arm and links are such that they will each lie in a plane through I 1 inner ends and pivotally secured to lugs 26 integral with the member 12, at their outer ends. The pivotal connections are loosely madeso that the parts will not have a tendency to stick or jam in operation. Stops 27 on lugs 19 are provided to positively stop the movementof the bell'crank lever as the valve closes, and-to prevent its being again raised, which might occur in case a slight leakage should permit the short arm 22 moving past its lowermost position.

In operationjthe valve will remain closed until a suflicient amount of fluid has accumulated in the tank to raise the float. The opening of the valve is opposed by the pressure of the liquid and by the pressure of any compressed gas which may be in the tank above the liquid, and a considerable force is necessary to effect the initial opening movement. At opening the lever arm of the float will be greatest and the lever arm of the resisting fluid pressure on the valve smallest, inasmuch as the arm 22 and links 23 are nearly in a straight line. A comparatively small float is therefore capable of opening a valve against high back pressure or of opening a large valve against low back pressure, by the arrangement of mechanism described.

vAfter the valve is once opened the float may rise quickly, as the pressure on the valve immediately drops oil, to open the valve wide. As the float rises its effective lever arm of course is decreased while the effective length of the work arm is increased. This insures a rapid opening of the valve after its initial opening has been accomplished. The apparatus is small and compact and being mounted on a single base plate or member can be removed as a unit for inspection purposes.

It will be obvious that changes may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts of the invention which is therefore not limited to the exact form described and illustrated. The valve may be arranged, for instance, to regulate the flow of liquid into instead of out of, a tank or receptacle.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a liquid container having an outlet, of a valve for the outlet and valve operating means comprising a pivoted arm having a float connected thereto, and toggle levers connecting said arm and valve, one of said levers being rigidly connected to the arm and the other pivotally connected to the valve, said levers being so arranged as to be substantially in alignment when the valve is closed, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a liquid container having an outlet, of a valve for the outlet and valve operating means comprising an arm having a float connected thereto and pivotally supported substantially in alignment with the axis of the opening, and toggle levers connecting said arm andvalve, one of said levers being rigidly connected to the arm and the other pivotally connected to the valve, said levers being so arranged as to be substantially in alignment when the valve is closed, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a liquid container having an outlet, of a valve for the outlet, a guide link pivotally supported at one end adjacent said outlet and pivotally connected at its other end to said valve, and valve operating means comprising a pivoted arm having a float connected thereto, and toggle levers connecting said arm and valve, said levers bein so arran ed as to be substantially in alignment w en the valve is closed, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination With a liquid container having a liquid outlet opening with vertically disposed axis, of a vertically movable valve for said outlet and valve operating means comprising an arm having a float connected thereto and pivotally supported substantially vertically above the center of the outlet opening, and toggle levers connecting said arm and valve, one of said levers beingrigidl connected to the arm and the other pivotally connected to the valve, said levers being so arranged as to be in substantially vertical alignment when the valve is closed, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

IRVING C. JENNINGS. 

